1. Field of the Invention
The subject of the present invention is a system of devices for emergency opening of vehicle doors, especially to open from inside the door(s) blocked or jammed following a traffic accident.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A number of safety systems in vehicles are known, which function by rapid filling of containers with gas, as for example the safety airbags, or seat belt pretensioners. However, they are not used in systems for emergency release of passengers from the interior of the vehicle. Most often the passengers are released from outside with the use of body-cutting and door-prying equipment. Such method of door opening is frequently executed by chance witnesses of an accident or by rescue teams that arrive much later. Passengers trapped in the vehicle are frequently unable to do this because of door blocking/jamming or because of injuries suffered during the accident.
The closest known prior art is the German Patent DE 19947363A1 revealing a device for opening of a door of an automotive vehicle in case of a dangerous tilting of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle frame has known door hinges, a locking-unit element in the form of a door lock, which is principally the locking pin or locking bow cooperating with a further door element of the locking unit. There are pyrotechnically acting means in, and assigned to, said locking unit and fired by a set of sensors when the vehicle has assumed a cross tilting angle larger than a preset limit tilt angle. Then, pyrotechnical means cause a destruction of the locking element of the door lock, thus overcoming the door locking. Besides, the door frame and the vehicle dashboard contain airbags, so that, upon their release, they exert an opening force on the door in respect to a swing axis and move the door percussively into an open position. In another embodiment of this German Patent, an airbag is located in the door on their face opposite to the hinges and, once released, it rests against the door side post and against the seat while pressing on the door. In case of a vehicle cross tilting, when the door is raised up, a blocking device is employed in order to prevent undesirable door closing again, said blocking device being also controlled by a sensor and having a punch rod that extends on the door side and rests against the frame of the door, whereas the locking unit may be released only mechanically through a blocking lever, located within the door hinges and actuated by the gravity force during tilting, thus preventing the door return. In case the air bags, provided to set the door in motion to open position, are arranged in respect of their number, location and shape, so as to exert a large door-opening torque, they may function also when the vehicle is overturned onto the door, i.e. when the door is under the overturned vehicle, and thus the door opening motion is combined with the vehicle tilt-return motion to its normal position. It creates a further facilitation for the passengers. The basic difference of that embodiment of the German patent consists in having an appliance for emergency opening of vehicle doors with a system of sensors which, independently of existing locking devices used in regular operation, releasing and positioning of doors, contains the first means, actuated by the sensor system, intended to deactivate the effectiveness of the locking unit, and the second means, also actuated by a sensor, as well as means for moving the doors into their open position. Besides, that appliance has pyrotechnical means for unlocking the locking unit and/or actuating the second door-opening means that contain at least one airbag on the vehicle body and/or in its doors, and a thrust surface opposite to it, either on the door or on the vehicle body or on a vehicle seat. The set of sensors shall fire the pyrotechnical means only in a situation when the vehicle is tilted considerably to its side or is lying its side, i.e. when the vehicle tilting is in excess of the tilt angle preset for the set of sensors. On the other hand, the set of sensors will not fire any pyrotechnical means, i.e. will not open the vehicle door when, the vehicle is in horizontal position or is tilted to an angle lower than the preset limit vehicle-tilt angle following the accident.